There are numerous nursing bra designs which have attempted to provide a sanitary environment for the breast feeding of newborn children and in order to ensure for the cleanliness of the mothers"" outer apparel, as well as of the bra itself. Other nursing bra designs have sought to allow a measure of convenience to the mother, by permitting her to nurse her child without the need to remove the entire bra.
For instance, the bra disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,989,382 provides for an absorbent pad which is positioned within the bra cup near the nipple area, to absorb excess milk flow and prevent soiling of clothing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,273 also discloses the use of a pad, in this case placed within a removable section of the bra which must be detached from the main body of the bra when nursing is desired. By this design, the mother""s blouse or shirt must be substantially removed in order to begin nursing.
Neither of these representative patents, nor any prior nursing bra design is especially convenient to the nursing process. Prior nursing bras do not function without compelling the mother to partially disrobe or unhook or detach all or part of the bra. This results in difficulty during nursing, both for the mother and the infant, who may be distracted and bothered by detached clothing. The sanitary nature of the process is also compromised, as is the increased likelihood that the mother""s clothing and the bra itself will become wet and stained.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which overcomes the limitations and disadvantages of prior nursing bras.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which provides the nursing mother and her infant child a sanitary environment during the nursing process.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which provides the nursing infant ready and unencumbered access to the mother.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which allows the nursing mother an easy, convenient and comfortable means to nurse her child.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which allows use of the bra without the need of the mother to disrobe or remove the bra.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which allows the bra to be used without unhooking, detaching, or disconnecting the bra in any manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which can be designed to readily accommodate different nipple configurations, locations and sizes and allow for varied nursing positions.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which can be adopted for use with a variety of bra to body attachment and support means.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which can be combined with a variety of backless and strapless designs, to allow the user to wear fashionable dresses and blouses.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra which will avoid leakage and staining and fading of clothing caused by moisture during nursing.
The objectives outlined above and many others are accomplished by the nursing bra of the present invention which comprises a pair of bra cups formed as a single, molded layer, each cup having a inner surface and an outer surface. An opening extends between the inner and outer surfaces of each cup at the location of the wearer""s nipples. Each cup has a pocket positioned over and secured to the inner surface of the cup. The pocket overlays approximately one-half of the inner surface, but does not cover any part of the opening. An absorbent, replaceable nursing pad is positioned and retained within each pocket. The pad serves to cover the opening when in place in the pocket, but is removable from the pocket when nursing is completed. This nursing bra configuration is readily adaptable for use with a variety of bra to body attachment and support means. The design obviates the need for flaps attached with snaps or hooks and thus facilitates unobstructed nursing. In addition, backless and strapless designs allow the user to wear the bra with fashionable dresses and blouses.